Planting Rice Below Hill 65
West side of Hill 65 – Where the Cobra Was Last Seen
Friday, January 10, 1969
Construction of the staff club continued, and Gunny Pavelcek didn’t take any short cuts. Three of the interior walls were cut into the slope of the hill so there was no need for sandbagging. The dirt walls would be framed with wooden 2″ X 4″s and vertically paneled with ammo box slats. This was tedious work (breaking down the boxes), but Reb promised the outcome would be much more aesthetically pleasing.
Enemy activity was increasing across the river in Arizona Territory. We watched the firefights at night, and much of the action was along the river, especially near the CAP units. River traffic increased as the NVA tried to move men and supplies toward Da Nang. Recon units (using starlight scopes) called in fire missions on the VC boats. Pre-set coordinates of the river positions were deadly on these targets.
Newly-planted rice fields were emerging, and the countryside was in a transition from the golden harvest colors to a green landscape of lush growth. Dozens of fields were flooded, and the young rice shoots were pushed into the fertile mud.
My Vietnam Experience 